Skip to main content
TWI logo The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
logo
wordmark
Homepage

Main navigation

  • Analysis
  • Experts
  • About
  • Support
  • Maps & Multimedia
Trending:
  • Military & Security
  • Proliferation
  • Israel
  • Iran
  • Lebanon
  • Syria

Regions & Countries

  • Egypt
  • Gulf States
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Middle East
  • North Africa
  • Palestinians
  • Syria
  • Turkey

Issues

  • Arab & Islamic Politics
  • Arab-Israeli Relations
  • Democracy & Reform
  • Energy & Economics
  • Great Power Competition
  • Gulf & Energy Policy
  • Military & Security
  • Peace Process
  • Proliferation
  • Terrorism
  • U.S. Policy
TWI English
TWI Arabic: اللغة العربية Fikra Forum

Breadcrumb

  • Policy Analysis

Military & Security

Policy Analysis on Military & Security

Filter by:

Muhandis General Company articles of incorpration front page
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Certificate of Incorporation of the Muhandis General Company
A translation of the articles of incorporation for a major IRGC-like firm run by Iraq's "resistance" militias.
Jun 3, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Fayyad says that PMF is 204k
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Extraordinary Popular Mobilization Force Expansion, by the Numbers
The PMF is growing fast by every metric, from budget to authorized manpower to training and economic programs, though militia leaders seem wary of highlighting this expansion.
Jun 3, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Brief Analysis
Last Call for UNIFIL? Israel and Hezbollah in a 2006 Deja Vu
The exchange of threats between Israeli and Hezbollah officials is just one in a series of developments indicating higher risk of miscalculation and large-scale regional conflict.
Jun 2, 2023
◆
  • Assaf Orion
AK cover
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf Seeks Recruitment Gains from Hints of Violent Operations
The group has been posting more theatrical messages to suggest it is a real armed "resistance" movement, but without any evidence of actual kinetic operations.
May 29, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Gulf of Aden Migrants
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Migration from the Horn of Africa to Yemen: Not Just a Passing Phenomenon
Though Yemen struggles with economic, political, and environmental issues of its own, more and more migrants are crossing the country's borders in hopes of a better life.
May 25, 2023
◆
  • Muneer Bin Wabar
Iranian military leaders Ali Akbar Ahmadian and Qasem Suleimani - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Iran’s National Security Council Shuffle Signals Business as Usual
The latest change followed the normal timeline for such appointments, and the new council secretary is a demonstrated loyalist who will presumably toe the Supreme Leader’s uncompromising line.
May 24, 2023
◆
  • Farzin Nadimi
Federal Police wounded at Speicher
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah’s Escalating Feud with the Iraqi Security Forces
The leading Iran-backed militia is increasingly picking territorial fights with military forces controlled by Baghdad.
May 19, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Alex
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf Claims Six-Year-Old Unsolved Murder of U.S. Soldier
The group stopped hinting and actually took credit for the 2017 murder of U.S. soldier Alexander Missildine, who was then supporting Iraqi combat operations to liberate territory from the Islamic State.
May 18, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
PMF logo on a Muhandis General Company combine harvester
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: The Muhandis General Company
By establishing this Iraqi version of an Iranian IRGC conglomerate, militias aim to quickly dominate the country's growing economy.
May 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Photo of Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu standing alone in parliament.
Brief Analysis
After Gaza Operation, Netanyahu Seeks to Recover Ground
The Israeli prime minister appears to have avoided a wider military conflict and received a boost in opinion polls, but minefields await.
May 16, 2023
◆
  • David Makovsky
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Another Round of Negotiations with the Houthis: AQAP as Potential Spoiler in Yemen
If talks with the Houthis continue to ignore key Yemeni stakeholders, al-Qaeda is poised to absorb disillusioned tribal groups into its ranks.
May 16, 2023
◆
  • Mohamed Mokhtar Qandil
CMC van
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Communications and Media Commission
After falling under the control of “resistance”-linked board members, this key Iraqi media institution began a widespread crackdown on freedom of expression. Its head commissioner is a member of U.S.-designated terrorist group Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
May 15, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
CMC March 16, 2023 draft regulation of digits; media content in Iraq
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi CMC Draft Regulation on Digital Content in Iraq
English translation of the March 16, 2023, draft regulation on digital content by the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission.
May 15, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Brief Analysis
Preserving U.S. Military Advantages in the Middle East
In areas such as basing, air superiority, high-tech weapons, and intelligence, America must act assertively to maintain its edge against competitors like Russia and China.
May 14, 2023
◆
  • Nathan P. Olsen
GCC
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Syria’s Normalization and the GCC: Adjusting to A New Modus Vivendi
Though GCC member states may disagree on Syria's normalization, the collective memory of past conflicts and the desire for regional stability will likely override internal divisions.
May 10, 2023
◆
  • Leonardo Jacopo Maria Mazzucco
Bafel Talabani
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Roots of the Rift between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan's PUK
The tensions between Turkey and the PUK are not new, though recent actions by both sides have exacerbated the situation despite shared economic interests.
Apr 28, 2023
◆
  • Mehmet Alaca
Brief Analysis
Countering “ISIS at Large” in Syria
Examining CENTCOM’s mix of unilateral and partnered operations against senior ISIS officials in Syria provides useful insights into the group’s current capabilities and the focus of U.S. attention in the region.
Apr 27, 2023
◆
  • Devorah Margolin
Sabereen Wagner
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Militia-Russia Love Affair: April 2023 Update
Iraqi militia officials are still regularly praising Putin's invasion of Ukraine and even conferring honorary Shia Muslim status on Russian officials.
Apr 26, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Quds Day speech
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Akram Kaabi Feted in Quds Day Communiques
In an ungrudging division of labor, senior militia figure Akram Kaabi is being built up by other factions as the main anti-U.S. "resistance" leader in Iraq.
Apr 26, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Basra Lynx crash May 6, 2006
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf Threatens U.S. Helicopters
In its latest threats to U.S. aviation, the oldest militia facade group in Iraq made an interesting callback to a deadly 2006 shootdown of a British helicopter.
Apr 25, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight

Pagination

  • Previous page ‹ Previous
  • First page « First
  • …
  • Page 17
  • Page 18
  • Page 19
  • Page 20
  • Current page 21
  • Page 22
  • Page 23
  • Page 24
  • Page 25
  • …
  • Last page Last »
  • Next page Next ›
Supported by the

Military and Security Studies Program

The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program has established itself as an unrivaled source of reliable, incisive, and forward-looking analysis concerning several of the most critical national-security challenges facing the United States today: The U.S. military role in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear program and its proxy armies, the ongoing conflict is in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, the regional proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, the security dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and many other security issues on the frontline of the U.S. policymaking agenda.

Sign Up for Email Updates from The Washington Institute

Never miss a breaking event on U.S. policy interests in the Middle East. Customize your subscription to our expert analysis, op-eds, live events, and special reports.

Sign up

Featured experts

Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.
Michael Knights
Michael Knights
Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and cofounder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Meisel-Goldberger Senior Fellow and Director of the Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation Program on Great Power Competition and the Middle East at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy toward the Gulf states, Iraq, and Syria.
Background image with TWI branding
logo
wordmark
Homepage

1111 19th Street NW - Suite 500
Washington D.C. 20036
Tel: 202-452-0650
Fax: 202-223-5364

Footer contact links

  • Contact
  • Press Room
  • Subscribe

The Washington Institute seeks to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them.

The Institute is a 501(c)3 organization; all donations are tax-deductible.

Footer quick links

  • About TWI
  • Support the Institute
  • Alumni

Social media

  • The Washington Institute on Facebook facebook
  • The Washington Institute on X x
  • The Washington Institute on YouTube youtube
  • The Washington Institute on LinkedIn linkedin

© 2025 All rights reserved.

Footer

  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rights & Permissions